The Powerpuff Girls: The Sum of the Parts
by Aku Blossom
Summary: The Powerpuff Girls 10th Anniversary Special. The girls are called on one more adventure: Stop Him from using the stolen Key to the World for evil. But just what is the Key to the World?


**The Powerpuff Girls 10th Anniversary Special**

_**The Sum of the Parts**_

**Created by Craig McCracken**

**Story by Kevin Ivy

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The City of Townsville! A harmonious community of happy little people. A prosperous young man, Joe, was on his way to the market to buy milk for his children. He skid to a halt just outside the suburban home of the town's resident superheroines, the Powerpuff Girls, when a scream came from the window. Blinking, he quickly drove away to avoid the approaching argument.

"Girls! You ruined my favorite book!" The red-haired leader of the Powerpuff Girls, Blossom, stood with her hands on her hips glaring at her two sisters. Her favorite book lay on the floor smeared in yogurt, the pages already sticking together. Bubbles stared at the ground with her hands clasped in front of her, sniffling and eyes watery. Buttercup, on the other hand, just crossed her arms and glared—though she, too, kept her eyes on the floor.

"What in the world were you doing!? Oh my gosh, it's completely ruined, now I'll never be able to finish it!"Bubbles sniffled and wiped her eyes.

"I wanted the last yogurt...but Buttercup took it away from me..." Buttercup stuck her tongue out at her blond sister.

"She ate like...five of them already! I've only had one since we bought them! It was mine!" Bubbles turned and glared at Buttercup, her sorrow forgotten.

"Nuh uh! You don't even like banana yogurt! You were just being mean!" Buttercup scowled and pointed an accusatory finger at Bubbles.

"I did so want it!" The previous argument, one Blossom had been trying to ignore, started up all over again, the two yelling at each other. Only this time, they were trying to pull her into it. Blossom, her face bright red, screamed and stomped towards the door.

"I can't stand this anymore!" She slammed the door and left the other two staring at it, their argument forgotten. Blossom floated downstairs, grumbling the whole way.

"Sometimes I wish I was an only child so I wouldn't have to put up with them being so...so...so childish! Fighting over yogurt?! Why couldn't they just split it!?" Blossom sighed and looked around, the Professor was no where in sight. She slouched and floated downstairs to check the lab. If she asked nicely enough, maybe he'd buy her another copy of the book.

"I'll do extra chores and be on my best behavior, I promise!" She practiced under her breath, flashing her best smile. She frowned and sighed, looking around the deserted lab. The Professor was nowhere in sight. Blossom was about to leave, but noticed a cassette tape lying out on a table marked "The Girl's First Day". She picked it up, eying it carefully.

"That's strange...the Professor usually doesn't make grammatical errors like that, I'll have to tell him...I wonder what's on this?" Blossom looked around, reaffirming that she was alone. "Well...I'm sure he won't mind, it wouldn't be out if he didn't want me listening to it!" Beaming at her logic, Blossom floated over the cabinet, taking out the Professor's ridiculously antique cassette player, sliding the tape inside and hitting play.

_July 3rd, 2002._

_I've finally done it...I finally perfected the formula and managed to create the perfect little girl. Well...there were a few deviations from the original plan. I had never expected Jojo to just shove me into that vial of Chemical X. The chemical had a few side-effects unfortunately...never expected the superpowers...and...three girls...even though..._

"Blossom? Blossom! Wake up, we got a call from the Mayor!" Blossom blinked and looked around blearily, moaning and rubbing her eyes. She noticed the tape player and looked up, seeing her sisters standing over her.

"Huh? What time is it? What happened?" Buttercup helped her up and Bubbles pointed towards the door.

"The Mayor called! Him stole something called the Key to the World! We have to go get it!" Blossom blinked and snapped back into action.

"The Key to the World? That sounds serious! Alright let's go!" Leaving behind a tricolored rainbow of light, the Powerpuff Girls blasted off into the sky and towards Him's city home. As they were flying, Bubbles put her hand to her mouth and looked at Blossom. She noticed Buttercup was also looking at the redhead and the two shared a look, nodding and flying closer to their sister.

"Hey Blossom...listen, uh...we're...s..."

"We're sorry we ruined your book..." Blossom looked at Bubbles then at Buttercup, slowly smiling and giving them both a quick hug.

"It's okay...I'm sorry I yelled at you, just be more careful okay?" All three smiled and returned their gazes forward, seeing Him's home in the distance.

"So what's the Key to the World?" Blossom shrugged, all three assuming immediate defensive stances the moment they crashed in through the roof and landed in the demon's living room. They looked around carefully, slowly losing their combat initiative.

"I don't know, but it sounds really important, we have to get it back, girls," Bubbles and Buttercup nodded. The girls spent the next ten minutes searching the house from top to bottom. They regrouped in the living room, all frowning and shaking their heads.

"There's no one here...where do you think he could be?" Bubbles asked, looking at Blossom expectantly. The leader paused and gave the living room another sweep, sighing and shaking her head.

"I don't know...maybe...oof!" Blossom had been walking around and tripped on a latch that was sticking up out of the plush pink carpet. She rubbed her foot and stared at it, all three girls looking a tad embarrassed.

"Wow...I feel stupid..." Buttercup muttered. She grabbed the latch and threw it back, revealing a trap door. The girls stared into the dark abyss, sharing a mutual look of apprehension. Shrugging in unison, they descended into the darkness. They were quickly deposited onto a chunk of red rock floating in a void of swirling blue light.

"This must be his real lair...c'mon we gotta find him and fast!" The girls took to the air and shot through the void, scouring the hundreds of rocky platforms trying to find the lobster-clawed villain. Bubbles gasped, catching her sisters' attention.

"Look!" They all regrouped, now floating before a throne that sat in the middle of the twisted realm. Him sat, one leg crossed over the other, holding a giant key in his claw, grinning wickedly.

"Why hello girls! So nice of you to join me!" Blossom thrust her mitt out at the demon, glaring.

"Give us back the key Him! There's no where for you to run!" Him giggled and floated into the air, tossing the key from claw to claw.

"Oh Blossom, why would I run? I have you right...where...I want you..." Him cackled and the key vanished as a green mist rose up and enveloped him. His body morphed into an ugly, hideous amalgamation of nightmarish proportions. He towered over the girls, barely able to stay standing on his scarlet throne. The demon's body had lengthened to become a thorax of sorts, growing a set of eight spider-like legs. His upper body had stretched up until it was even longer than the lower body. His arms grew out, the claws becoming snarling versions of themselves; his face lost its childish glee, his mouth growing into a gaping maw of razor sharp teeth. From the end of his thorax extended a massive scorpion's tail.

"**Don't you see girls? Now that I have the Key to the World...I have no further use for you little...brats!" **Him lashed out, his tail hitting the puffs and sending them spiraling through the void. All of the hundreds of rocks came together, forming a single, massive platform. It was here that the girls crash landed, being closely followed by the devil himself, who took up more than half the platform due to his sheer size.

"Girls, keep moving and blasting him! There has to be a weak spot somewhere!" Him leered as the three girls began to swarm around him like flies, blasting him repeatedly with everything in their arsenal. Everything from heat rays, mega beams, starburst rays, ice breath and sonic yells came showering down on the demon. None of these seemed to have any effect.

"**You can't win this way girls...you can't stop me, you never could," **Him lashed out slapping Bubbles and Buttercup out of the air.

"Bubbles! Buttercup!"

"**Now it's just you and me...how deliciously ironic, don't you think?"** Blossom spun around, glaring at Him and clenching her fists.

"What are you talking about?" Him chuckled and began to advance on the last standing puff. Blossom hovered back, hoping her sisters would come back into the fold soon. The moments dragged on far too long, and soon she realized the horrible truth. She was alone against their worst enemy.

_Strange...she seems to think...but I couldn't tell her..._

"**Don't you understand? Can't you figure it out...you are awfully smart..."** Blossom shook her head and floated back more. While chancing a glance away from the demon, she spotted the Key to the World floating behind him. That just might be her only hope to stop him.

"I don't know what you're talking about...you aren't going to get away with this!" Him laughed loudly, standing up to his full height. Blossom bit her lip and floated back more. Her confidence was waning, she couldn't beat him by herself. But if she could just get the key...

"**Do you know what the Key to the World is?"** Him asked, leaning down so that his face was level with Blossom. Blossom swallowed hard and shook her head, glancing away and at the key once again. Almost...

"No, but you stole it, so it has to be important! I'll get it back and beat you!" Him growled and stood up again, bringing up his claws.

"**The Key to the World..."** Blossom saw her chance and with all her might, dodged both attacks and lunged for the key. She saw her sisters getting up, Bubbles watched in horror while Buttercup shook her head.

"Blossom wait! He's coming back!"

"Forget the key! Just beat Him!" Blossom turned around and saw Him rising up once more, turning his fiercely burning green eyes on her. Blossom quickly whipped around and grabbed the key, wincing when she heard a rush of movement behind her.

"**Ends this little charade..."** Blossom slowly opened her eyes and looked around. She was standing on the edge of Townsville, near where Him's home used to be. Bubbles and Buttercup were standing with her, both frowning. The former was sniffling, while the latter had her arms crossed.

"What happened?" Blossom looked around, no sign of Him anywhere. She looked down at her hands and noticed the key was missing. Instead there was a cassette tape in her hands. She blinked and flipped it over, trying to find a name or something written on it. "Huh that's weird...wonder where this came from?" Bubbles started to say something, but Buttercup cut her off.

"Hey Blossom, let's give that back to the Mayor and just go home, alright?" Blossom started to nod, but paused and put her mitt to her chin, noticing that the tape had Professor Utonium written at the bottom corner.

"Hey this belongs to the Professor, let's take it home," Bubbles caught Blossom's arm, biting her lip.

"B-But Him stole it from the Mayor! We should...you know take it back to him," Blossom blinked and narrowed her eyes.

"You never said he stole it from the Mayor...besides this isn't the Key to the World...I wonder what happened to that," Buttercup groaned and started to take the cassette away from Blossom.

"Who cares! Let's just get rid of this stupid thing!" Blossom snatched it back and started to float into the air, glaring at her sisters.

"You guys are being weird...it has the Professor's name on it, I'm taking it home," She heard them both cry out "Wait!" but didn't bother to stop.

_Sometimes...in a different voice...two...I think she may..._

Blossom rubbed her head as she headed into the lab to put the tape away. She caught sight of the tape player. A slightly mischievous smile came to her lips as she popped out the old tape and slid the new one in.

"I wonder what the Professor has on here? I shouldn't listen but...it might be something exciting!" A new formula he was working on, a new project, some scientific mumbo jumbo her sisters would never understand. Bubbles and Buttercup had caught up and sat down next to her.

"Blossom listen I'm sorry...I just..." Buttercup started. Blossom sighed, but beamed at her sisters, hugging them once again.

"It's okay girls...I forgive you...now let's find out what the Professor has on this that Him wanted!" Blossom hit play, not even noticing the gasp Bubbles let out, or that Buttercup had suddenly tensed up.

_July 3rd, 2002_

_I've finally done it...I finally perfected the formula and managed to create the perfect little girl. Well...there were a few deviations from the original plan. I had never expected Jojo to just shove me into that vial of Chemical X. The chemical had a few side-effects unfortunately. What I thought was the most prominent at first was the abilities she displayed. She can fly, seems to be very strong, who knows what other abilities she could have? While I never expected the superpowers...that wasn't the first thing I had noticed._

_I...I'm...I have trouble saying this, oh I just feel myself tearing up. She doesn't notice...she doesn't notice at all, it's perfectly normal to her. My little girl, Blossom I called her, she...after she introduced herself began to speak in another, higher voice. It was eerie how different it was...it was like she was a completely different person. Even more shocking, she started to speak in a third voice after I humored her by naming the second one._

_I don't know what to do...it's like having three girls even though there's only one. I blame the Chemical X...it had to have caused this, or maybe my calculations were off in the original formula. Blossom is perfectly content and happy, she almost seems to have conversations with...Bubbles and Buttercup. That's what I called them, her other voices. No they aren't just other voices...they're two completely different people. God I don't know what I'm supposed to..._

_July 4th, 2002_

_I've began to piece together more about Bubbles and Buttercup. It seems almost like Blossom...somehow as a defense mechanism or something caused by the Chemical X, created them to somehow push aside parts of herself. Blossom is so very mature and stable...whereas Bubbles is very emotional and immature. Buttercup is very rash and rough, it's almost like they're filling in roles for parts of her personality that she doesn't want to have. A kind of...sick failsafe in the "Perfect Little Girl" formula..._

_July 7th, 2002_

_Blossom's teacher spoke with me again today...she's been an absolute trooper, and I hear her students have just been wonderful in dealing with Blossom's...condition. They all think that Bubbles and Buttercup are just imaginary friends Blossom made up. We aren't entirely sure exactly what goes on inside Blossom's head but...well I can only imagine her perception of the world is so very, very different from ours. After all, hers caters to two people who don't even exist._

_Ms. Keane told me again that I should think about getting her therapy. I know I should, but every night I hear how she interacts with them, how much she believes in them. I don't think I could bring myself to tell her that her sisters...her two best friends don't even exist._

_August 23rd, 2002_

_I'm not sure why...but apparently Blossom has grown bored with the supervillains she's been dealing with. It's peculiar, how she manages to defeat them all the while believing two other equally powerful sisters are aiding her. I don't know how to handle this, I've been speaking with Ms. Keane more and more trying to figure it out._

_She calls this new villain, Him. He's...how did she put it "the evilest of evil, the cruelest of cruel!" Even if he sounds awfully colorful and downright camp. Of course he isn't real so the unbelievable crimes he's committed never happened. It's terrifying to think she could think up someone like that though. I hear her up in her room doing battle with this imaginary monster, knowing that even though it's fake to the real world...to her its as real as anything._

_I just hope she doesn't think up an enemy she and her "sisters" can't beat. I don't want to imagine how badly she could hurt herself..._

_October 1st, 2002_

_Blossom created another new villain today...three actually. Apparently they were boy counterparts created by her real nemesis, Mojo Jojo. My God, the bruises she somehow ended up with after that were just...heartbreaking. I need to do something, I can't keep letting her living like this. She's going to get hurt. Either way I decide to handle this...she's going to get hurt._

_June 28th, 2004_

_It's almost time for Blossom's seventh birthday...well second if you want to get technical. I'm going to tell her today, it's only fair. It's only right...and if I don't tell her, the Mayor, Ms. Keane...most of the city is worried about what will happen when her fantasies get out of control...again. I just pray to God I'm doing the right thing._

Blossom sat, staring at the tape recorder laying in front of her. Her mouth was just barely open, her eyes wide, her body slouched. She didn't hear the Professor approaching, she only reacted when he finally knelt down next to her and put a hand on her shoulder. Blossom jumped and looked up, staring at him with tears in her eyes. Bubbles and Buttercup were both gone.

"Wh...is...is that...is that all real?" The Professor frowned and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly.

"I'm...yes sweetie, all of that was true...Blossom, please, I never wanted to hurt you. I just...you loved them so much, I didn't know how to tell you," Blossom hugged him tightly, screwing her eyes shut and moaning, a high-pitched pathetic sound. Her sisters, her partners in heroism, her family...they weren't real. How much of her life had she just made up? How much was just a figment of her screwed up imagination?

"Am I...was anything ever real?" The Professor picked her up and carried her up the steps, into the living room, cradling her like he had never done before.

"I'm real...you're real...you are a hero Blossom. You've saved this city so many times, you've saved so many lives, touched so many people. You've been an inspiration to millions..." Blossom slowly climbed out of the Professor's arms, staring at the floor. She slowly looked around, her breaths coming in quick, gasping drags. All the pictures in the living room, pictures of the Professor and the three girls. They were all there with one painful, miserable reality. There was only the Professor and Blossom.

"I...I can't breathe...." Blossom rushed outside, standing in the front lawn and panting, looking around at the city. It was still standing, it was still peaceful, still alive. She felt tears trickling down her cheeks as she stared at it...finally seeing it for the first time. She turned and saw the Professor in the doorway, smiling sadly.

"Blossom...if you want to just pretend we never had this conversation...things can go back to the way they were. I won't take them away from you," Blossom shook her head and turned, staring at her feet. Bubbles and Buttercup were gone...rather they'd never existed to begin with.

"No...that's not right..." They had always existed, the Professor had said as much on that tape, they were...were a part of her. She sniffled and wiped her eyes, crying quietly. They'd never been there to begin with...but they hadn't left. They were just back where they belonged.

"Pr...D....Daddy...I want...want to get my head figured out...I'll talk to someone if you...if you want me to..." She turned around and smiled at the Professor, wiping away more tears. The Professor, crying himself, nodded and knelt down, holding his arms open for her. Blossom quickly ran to his arms and hugged him tightly, finally letting herself cry, and cry hard. Before the Professor brought her back inside, she turned and looked back out at the street.

"And...so for the last time the day is saved...thanks to the Powerpuff Girls..." She whispered as quietly as she could. The Professor heard, of course he was too close to not hear, but didn't say a word. He just carried her inside and shut the door.

Outside the wind blew by, ruffling the green leaves on the trees. The clouds continued rolling over head, sailing through blue skies. The birds chirped, unaffected as a car drove by.

_Once the stone you're crawling under_

_Is lifted off your shoulders,_

_Once the cloud that's raining_

_Over your head disappears,_

_The noise that you'll hear_

_Is the crashing down of hollow years_

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**Author's Note: My best work? No, not by a long shot. Terribly well thought out? Definitely not. Something that I felt just needed to be written? You're damn right.**


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